Stretch your travel dollars
By Melanie Chambers • Bankrate.com

Having traveled the globe and written 11 guidebooks, Sue Lebrecht knows a thing or two about traveling cheaply. "As a rule, if one looks to where and how youth travel, one looks to the most bang for their buck," says the Guelph, Ont., writer. What better ambassadors of cheap travel than students, who are always trying to conserve cash?

Stopping short of asking your parents for money for your upcoming vacation, we've assembled some good advice with the help of seasoned globe-trotters and travel experts to help you travel longer for less.

Go your own way: "I wanted to go to Europe and I wanted it to be cheap," says Toronto resident Merle Robillard, who traveled for a month in Europe in 2000. In researching where to go, he discovered that Romania and Hungary had good infrastructure -- with trains that ran on time, for instance -- but unlike bustling Paris or Prague, they were undiscovered gems that also had relatively inexpensive food and accommodation. "I think in 10 days, I spent $100," Robillard recalls of Romania, noting that his trip to Hungary was even cheaper.

He also enlisted the help of his banker to find out what kind of savings plan would help him save the most for his trip. In the end, he chose to use Canadian Savings Bonds. For 10 months, $300 came off his paycheque automatically and went into his travel account. "I didn't miss it and I couldn't access the money on a whim because you need two days to withdraw the money," says Robillard, so his forced savings plan worked perfectly.

Souvenir mania: Forcing yourself to save up for a vacation is one thing, but forcing yourself to curb your spending when you're away is another. Stanley J. Kershman, author of Put Your Debt on a Diet: A Step-by-Step Guide to Financial Fitness, suggests planning your potential purchases before you leave. "We all get sucked into an impulse buy, but it's not an impulse buy if you've thought about it before hand," he says. Whether with your family or traveling alone, put a dollar limit on your souvenir purchases before you go.

I go one step further when I travel -- I search for the one-of-a-kind crafts or items that I can only get in that country before I go. For instance, before going to Bangkok, I knew I wanted a custom-made silk dress. In Poland, I wanted a hand-carved wooden box. Deciding what I want before I go helps me stick to a budget.

Alternative accommodation: Besides airfare, accommodation is your next biggest purchase. Hotels are great, but a cheaper option is staying in a hostel. North Americans tend to have a lot of misconceptions about hotels. But contrary to popular belief, a good hostel is a safe, comfortable place to stay and most are not restricted to young people, as many assume. Staying in a hostel sanctioned by Hostelling International ensures it is clean and safe.

Another misconception is that hostels are only popular in Europe, but there are many to enjoy here at home; Quebec and Alberta boast the most in Canada with 16 hostels each. One of my favourites in Vancouver -- a large Century home located on Jericho Beach that overlooks the ocean -- costs only $22 a night, which includes breakfast.

Another cheap accommodation option is staying in a university or college residence during the summer when students are out of school. Kershman also suggests renting a cottage for a month with other family members. That way, each family can stay a few weeks and share the cost.

If you want to leave Canada, another option is swapping homes with someone in another country. For more information, check out the Bankrate.ca story Swap and save.

The one-tank trip: You don't have to run off to Milan or Minsk to find an exotic location (although Milan in the spring is lovely). A trip to one of Canada's more than 40 national parks is spectacular and includes all the necessary camping, swimming, kayaking and fishing to call yourself a true Canuck.

Closer to home, Kershman suggests a road trip using the one-tank rule: after determining how far one tank of gas can take you, check out the potential of local areas. Municipal websites are great places to discover historical and natural wonders you never knew existed.

And if you want to get the most mileage out of that tank of gas, Kershman suggests making your car lighter, thereby making your gas last longer. "Try and store your luggage inside not outside your car -- it puts drag on your car." Kershman says this extra weight can cost you up to 20 per cent more in gas, so it pays to lighten up.

To save even more gas, ensure your tires are properly inflated and don't start and stop as often.

Make your own meals: Kershman has a few ideas to keep you and your family properly fueled while away. "Breakfast is just a meal -- it doesn't have to be a $24-a-person brunch and then you have to eat lunch two hours later," he says.

He suggests eating one meal out and two meals in each day. While touring through Europe on my bike, I brought more than 24 energy bars. During my long rides, I ate bars for breakfast and lunch while on the go, then stopped in towns for a substantial evening meal.

Lebrecht says she brings her own tea bags on trips. "Most accommodations have a kettle or coffee maker in the room." This means dry goods, such as oatmeal packs and even soup mix, are cheap and tasty options.

Adventuring we will go: Lebrecht suggests booking travel tours at hostels, which "have very inexpensive tours to the 'best of' adventure in the region. Traveling in groups also helps."

Lebrecht agrees when I say the best way to see a new place is on two wheels. Many international airlines, such as KLM, will transport bicycles in a cardboard box for free while Air Canada charges about $65 for domestic flights. Cycling allows you to see less touristy landscapes for nothing more than the price of a little sweat. In the end, a few frugal decisions can mean the difference between staying a few days and staying a few weeks.

Melanie Chambers is a freelance writer in London, Ont., with a bad case of wanderlust.